Worcester Fire Department Deputy Chief Jeffrey Gardell said the front of the three-story home was burning when firefighters arrived at about 5 a.m.

Seven residents of the building had to be rescued by firefighters using ladders.

"People were hanging out of the third-floor windows. Their rescue while the fire was raging was heroic on the part of firefighters," said Gardell.

Officials said the fire was accidental and caused by a candle burning in the first-floor apartment.

Lequita Hill admitted she fell asleep with the candle burning and when she woke up, it had ignited some curtains.

"I want to say in about 30 seconds it went from the curtain to the whole building. We got outside and across the street,” Hill said. “We looked back and the windows were popping and at that point we were just yelling trying to get the people out of the building.”

Hill and five members of her family, including two children, escaped unharmed but lost everything.

"All this fire was going everywhere and it was really terrifying," said Hill's son, Jeremiah Hill, 11.

The seven people rescued were transported to UMass Memorial Medical Center for smoke inhalation. They were said to be OK.

When the flames were finally out, a puppy was found hiding on the third floor, sopping wet but unhurt.

The building appeared to be a total loss.

"It was unbelievable. Many of these buildings are over 100 years old. They're dry and the weather's been dry. They're tinder boxes," said Gardell.

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FIRE RACES THROUGH A MULTI-FAMILY HOME IN WORCESTER. HELP ARRIVING JUST IN TIME. THEY'RE SAFE AND SOUND. IT WAS A CONTINUEDER BOX BUT SPOKE DETECTORS SAVED THE DAY. I HAVE NEVER SEEN ANYTHING SPREAD THAT QUICKLY. I LITERALLY, WHEN WE LEFT OUT OF THE HOUSE, IT WAS A CURTAIN. WE GET ACROSS THE STREET, IT WAS THE WHOLE BUILDING. MY MAIN THING IS GET THE PEOPLE OUT OF THE HOUSE. I WAS RUNNING AND I WAS REALLY TERRIFIED. ALL OF A SUDDEN THE WINDOWS JUST BUSTED OUT EXPLODING BECAUSE OF THE FIRE. FIRE OFFICIALS SAY WHEN THEY ARRIVED AT 3 HITCHCOCK ROGER GOODELL IN WORCESTER, THIS THREE-FAMILY HOME WAS INVOLVED IN FLAMES WITH PEOPLE HANGING OUT THE WINDOWS. A CURTAIN WAS ACCIDENTALLY IGNITED BY A CANDLE IN THE FIRST-FLOOR LIVING ROOM. SHE DRIFTED OFF TO SLEEP ESCAPED WITH FIVE OF HER FAMILY MEMBERS INCLUDING HER SONS. WHAT'S THE STATE OF YOUR HOUSE WHERE YOU LIVE? IT'S DONE. SCARED, NERVOUS, SHOCK, DON'T KNOW WHAT TO DO. EVERYTHING IS GONE. A TOTAL OF SEVEN PEOPLE WERE RESCUED, FIVE WERE TRANSPORTED TO THE HOSPITAL TO CHECK FOR SMOKE INHALATION BUT ARE SAID TO BE OK. WHEN THE FLAMES ARE OUT, A PUPPY WAS DISCOVERED HIDING ON THE THIRD FLOOR, STOPPING WET BUT UNHURT. A HOSPITAL WORKER GOT THE CALL ABOUT THE FIRE AT WORK. IT WAS SO OVERWHELMING. I WANTED TO MAKE SURE EVERYBODY WAS OK, EVERYBODY WAS SAFE, THAT EVERYBODY GOT OUT. HER HUSBAND DESCRIBES BEING OVERCOME BY SMOKE AS HE AND HIS 12-YEAR-OLD ESCAPED. 15 PEOPLE ARE DISPLACED ABOUT ALIVE. I'M GRATEFUL THAT HE ALLOWED

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